Staff Reporter
The one-week delay in re-opening schools should give authorities enough time to address all outstanding health and hygiene issues and ensure a safe environment for both learners and teachers, key players in the education sector have said.
The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS) says it had recommended to the Basic Education Department not to rush the reopening of schools before ensuring all systems were in place, while the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) believes the seven-day postponement is long enough to ensure a successful return to schooling.
FEDSAS chief executive officer Paul Colditz told The Free Stater this Tuesday that the lack of water at most schools in the province and other parts of the country made it unreasonable to rush the re-opening.
“We recommended to the minister (Angie Motshekga) that not all schools will be ready by June 1 and, therefore, the re-opening should be delayed by one week,” he said.
FEDSAS is the national representative organisation for governing bodies, which informs, organises, mobilises and develops its members to achieve and uphold the highest recognised international educational standards.
“There were no proper water supplies at most schools and yet it was important that schools have water in order to maintain good health and hygienic standards there,” Colditz said.
“Some schools had also not received the PPEs (personal protective equipment) from the education department and the teachers had not been trained for COVID-19.”
“The postponement has allowed us to take a deep breath and refocus,” he added.
“We don’t anticipate a chaotic situation like we had this week. Schools have to re-open.
“We cannot afford to cancel this academic year. You cannot postpone the matric and we cannot delay other children from starting Grade 1 because that’s a very important stage in schooling.”
At the weekend, SADTU urged parents not to send their children to school on June 1 saying the system was not yet ready to receive them.
SADTU Free State provincial secretary Mokholoane Bricks Moloi said this following a special Provincial Executive Committee meeting on Sunday to reflect on the state of readiness by the Free State Department of Education.
“The delay will afford the department to work on the grey areas that the union has identified. Teachers will need time to be trained on COVID-19 and the trimmed curriculum,” he said in a statement.
Moloi told teachers not to be pressured to work in unsafe environments and immediately report any such acts.
“We further urge members that upon reporting for duty . . . they report to their structures any deviation and non-compliance to the precautionary measures,” he said.
“In situations where their health is put at risk due non-compliance they should not stay at the unsafe environment.”
SADTU said given the increasing rate of COVID-19 infections in the country, its members and the public in general should be prepared to subject themselves to voluntary testing to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.